…The survey only applies to trees in rural forest areas. The number of trees in urban settings that were lost to the drought was pegged at over five million earlier this year…

…Edgar estimates that there were already nearly 300 million standing dead trees in Texas before the drought….so…the number of dead trees in the state has almost doubled…

And there are some upsides to all that dead wood. “The standing, dead trees will provide additional habitats for insects, birds and wildlife,” the service says. “Fallen trees will do the same, while also adding structure to the forest floor which helps prevent soil erosion.”

But there are some downsides, too. The service says those trees have trapped a lot of carbon, which they will begin to release now that they’re dead. And they could serve as fuel to wildfires. For that reason, they recommend removing any standing dead trees near homes or recreation areas.